Egypt Daily News – Israel resumes its war on Gaza by order of Netanyahu, Airstrikes claim 412 killed and more than 500 injured out of which 174 children, 89 women, and 32 elderly people were killed in the Israeli bombing last night in Israeli airstrikes on several areas in the Gaza Strip. The office of Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying that “the Israeli Prime Minister and his Defense Minister, Yisrael Katz, issued orders to launch the attack in an effort to achieve the war’s objectives as defined by the political leadership, including the release of all hostages, both alive and dead.”
Ending the ceasefire agreement that took effect on January 19, Israel launched extensive airstrikes on the Gaza Strip early Tuesday morning, resulting in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of civilians.
The media office in Gaza reported that more than 300 civilians were killed due to the Israeli bombardment, which targeted central, northern, and southern Gaza.
More than 200 airstrikes
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Civil Defense indicated that 300 Palestinians, “the majority of whom are children, women, and the elderly,” were killed due to intense Israeli airstrikes.
Mahmoud Basal, a spokesman for the Civil Defense, told Agence France-Presse (AFP), “More than 300 people, mostly children, women, and the elderly, were transported to hospitals.” He added that “Israel carried out more than 200 airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling.”
A source reported that the initial toll reached about 250 casualties, adding that the Israeli bombardment also targeted displaced persons’ tents in some areas.
Eyewitnesses reported that the airstrikes were concentrated in the northern and central parts of Gaza, where successive explosions were heard. Ambulance and civil defense crews faced difficulties reaching the targeted areas due to the intensity of the attacks, according to Reuters.
“The gates of hell will open”
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced that Israeli forces “returned to combat in Gaza due to Hamas’ refusal to release the hostages and its threats to harm Israeli soldiers.”
In a brief statement, he said, “If Hamas does not release all the hostages, the gates of hell will open in Gaza, and Hamas fighters will face forces they have never encountered before.” He emphasized that the airstrikes would not stop until all hostages were returned and the war achieved all its objectives.
“It will continue as long as necessary”
Meanwhile, an Israeli official stated that the large-scale attack would continue “as long as necessary.” The official, who requested anonymity, said that the military “carried out a series of pre-emptive strikes targeting mid-level military commanders, senior leaders, and Hamas infrastructure.”
He confirmed that this operation “will continue as long as necessary and will expand beyond airstrikes.”
“An unknown fate”
On the other hand, Hamas held Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government fully responsible for the consequences of the airstrikes on the devastated Palestinian territory.
In a statement, Hamas accused Israel of “reneging on the ceasefire agreement and exposing Israeli hostages in Gaza to an unknown fate.”
This violent escalation came after the latest round of negotiations in Doha and Cairo between mediators (Egypt, Qatar, and the United States), Hamas, and Israel failed to reach an extension of the ceasefire agreement or move to its second phase.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023, following a surprise Hamas attack on Israeli settlements and military bases around Gaza. Since then, nearly 48,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced multiple times. The crisis has worsened due to rising levels of hunger as Israel has blocked aid trucks from entering through the Rafah crossing for months.
Hamas calls on mediators to hold Netanyahu responsible for breaking the ceasefire agreement
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Hamas movement urged mediators to hold Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accountable for violating the ceasefire agreement, stressing that the decision to resume the war in Gaza puts the hostages in the enclave at risk of an unknown fate.
In a statement, the movement said, “We hold the criminal Netanyahu and the Nazi Zionist occupation fully responsible for the consequences of the treacherous aggression on Gaza, the defenseless civilians, and our besieged Palestinian people, who are subjected to a brutal war and systematic starvation policy.”
It continued, “We call on the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take their historical responsibility in supporting our steadfast Palestinian people and their valiant resistance, and to break the unjust siege on Gaza.” It also urged “the United Nations and the UN Security Council to convene urgently to take a decision forcing the occupation to halt its aggression and to implement Resolution 2735, which calls for ending the assault and withdrawing completely from the Gaza Strip.”
On Tuesday, the Israeli army announced that it had struck several Hamas targets throughout Gaza. Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office stated that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz had directed the military to intensify operations against Hamas.
The statement explained that the attacks were carried out “based on political-level directives.”
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Tuesday that Netanyahu and Katz had instructed the army to escalate operations against Hamas in Gaza.
A statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office read, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz have ordered the Israeli army to take strong action against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip after Hamas repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all offers presented by U.S. presidential envoy Steve Wietkoff and other mediators.”
The statement added, “The army is currently striking Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip, aiming to achieve the war’s objectives as determined by the political leadership, including the release of all our hostages, both alive and dead.”
In a later statement, the army said, “Following a security assessment, it was decided that as of 02:00, the Home Front Command’s instructions will change, with Gaza border areas shifting from full activity to restricted activities that do not allow for educational activities.”
It added that “the rest of the areas remain unchanged.”
It is worth noting that Cairo hosted an emergency Arab summit on March 4 to discuss the situation and developments in Gaza following the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, without reaching an agreement to extend it or move to the second phase.
The final statement of the emergency Arab summit endorsed Egypt’s plan, coordinated with Palestine and Arab nations, for early recovery and the reconstruction of Gaza as “a comprehensive Arab plan.” The leaders pledged “to provide all forms of financial, material, and political support for its implementation and to urge the international community and financial institutions to swiftly support the plan.”
